White Wine

Crosta Calcária dos Profetas

2022, 75cl

DOP Madeira

Crosta Calcária dos Profetas

The island of Porto Santo emerged 14 million years ago in the Atlantic Ocean and is geologically one of the oldest islands in the Portuguese archipelago. It was also the first to be discovered by Zarco in 1418. The ancients said that this was where they came to pick the ripest grapes to make the wine that made these islands famous. Today there are less than 14 hectares left, cultivated by a handful of hardy people. On the neighboring island, they call the Porto Santenses “Prophets,” an old nickname that makes sense when you see these ancient vines, with their creeping vineyards, protected from the winds and sea air by crocheted walls or skillful reed structures.

Crosta Calcária is a geological zone in the north of the island of Porto Santo, where the limestone profile becomes compacted, giving the wines an additional minerality, transporting us to sea shells and another dimension of wine.

Viticulture:
Vineyard management: traditional, close to the ground, protected from strong winds by reeds or crochet walls. Vineyard age: 40 to 80 years. Soils: limestone with a sandy loam texture and pH>8.5.

Vinification:
The grapes were harvested by hand and vinified for the first time on the island of Porto Santo. Tight selection in the vineyard, with some vines being harvested more than once, picking the ripest first and the rest in a second harvest. Direct pressing of the whole bunch into decanting tanks, with three fractions being separated, without any use of SO2 until the end of fermentation, in order to allow pre-oxidation of the must and fuller spontaneous fermentation. The musts fermented on their lees in 250L and 500L stainless steel vats and 228L barrels, where they were aged for a total of 11 months.

633 numbered 0.75L bottles were released in August 2023.

Allergens information

Contains sulphites.

Companhia de Vinhos dos Profetas e Villões

On the island of Madeira, those from Porto Santo are called “Profetas” (Prophets). This nickname is a response to the “Villões” (Villains), which the inhabitants of Porto Santo call the Madeirans, derived from the term “vila” (city), which gained a double connotation.

The wines of Profetas e Villões are, therefore, something that could only have been born on these islands, just like their audacious nicknames.

The Companhia dos Profetas e dos Villões Project arises from the challenge thrown at António Maçanita by Nuno Faria, a partner at the 100 Maneiras restaurant in Madeira, with a history in Porto Santo, where he has been spending his holidays since childhood. Confined during the early days of the pandemic on the island, he shared with António Maçanita the enchantment for these creeping vines with white walls.